The life and times of Maurice Pratt

The chairman of the Irish Tourist Industry Confederation – who is still regularly recognised from those Quinnsworth TV ads in the 1980s – talks about the challenges of Brexit, how Dunnes Stores captured the zeitgeist, and his ‘interesting’ working relationship with Minister for Tourism Shane Ross

Maurice Pratt: ‘I was constantly recognised from the Quinnsworth ads. But it was all positive, and it was great for the brand’ Picture: Fergal Phillips

How do you know you’ve reached iconic status in Ireland? Maybe you’ve had a building named after you, or been awarded the freedom of somewhere. Or maybe, like Maurice Pratt, you’ve become so ingrained in the memory of a couple of generations of Irish people that you’ve popped up on that key arbiter of popular culture, Waterford Whispers.

Headlined “Maurice Pratt finally arrested over traumatic back to school adverts”, the piece on the ...